Game of Thrones Season Premiere Breaks Series Ratings Record

The second season of HBO's Game of Thrones has unquestionably been one of the most highly-anticipated television events of the year. Millions of people have waited eagerly for the show to return. On Sunday night, they got their wish. The second season premier aired Sunday night on HBO.

To say that it was a hit would be an understatement. According to data published today by Variety, nearly 4 million people watched "The North Rememberes," the first episode of the new season, when it aired on Sunday night. To be precise, 3.86 million viewers watched the show when it aired in its regular time slot at 9 PM on Sunday. Second and third airings at 10 and 11 PM drew 1.48 million and 943,000 viewers, respectively. All told, 6.28 million people watched the episode during one of its three airings on Sunday night. The episode passed last season's finale to become the most-watched single telecast in the show's short history. The initial telecast of that episode drew 3.04 million viewers.

Game of Thrones is based on George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. The first season dealt with the events of the first novel, A Game of Thrones, while this season will deal with the events of the second, A Clash of Kings. The fifth volume in the series, A Dance with Dragons, was released last summer. The series is currently projected to have two more books, though Martin has said that more could be added. The enormous scope of the series, coupled with the expense of turning it into a cable show, has led many to wonder whether HBO will actually manage to complete the series. While the first season was a smash hit, prompting HBO to order a second after just a few episodes, it remains to be seen whether later seasons will prove as popular.

And now, because it's always worth a watch, here's the most recent trailer:

Did you tune in to the new season of Game of Thrones on Sunday night? How likely is HBO to continue making the show for all seven (or more) volumes of the series? Let us know what you think in the comments.